Mr. Speaker, with Sarajevo suburbs under intense and brutal bombardment, which has added 11 dead and 40 wounded to the casualty list in this conflict, UN peacekeepers are no longer able to protect the Bosnian capital from future Serbian bombardment since their commanding officer refuses to authorize NATO airstrikes.
We want to express our grave concern about the fact that the UN is powerless to defend this safe area. Need I recall that the Serbs continue to prevent the reopening of Sarajevo Airport, which has been closed to humanitarian flights for one month?
As the UN and NATO do nothing, the noose continues to tighten around Sarajevo, where Serbian tanks have re-entered the 20-kilometre exclusion zone and are firing mortar shells into the heart of the city.
We can only hope that the UN will quickly take control of the situation again, to prevent further casualties.